Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!dimacs.rutgers.edu!seismo!uunet!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!ames!uhccux!bigtuna!pegasus!tleylan
From: tleylan@pegasus.com (Tom Leylan)
Newsgroups: comp.databases
Subject: Re: Clipper 5.0 - what's the downside
Keywords: clipper 5.0
Message-ID: <1991Feb10.090900.16043@pegasus.com>
Date: 10 Feb 91 09:09:00 GMT
References: <21611@hydra.gatech.EDU>
Distribution: usa
Organization: Pegasus,  Honolulu
Lines: 41

In article <21611@hydra.gatech.EDU> gt8963a@prism.gatech.EDU (MCCARTNEY,JEFFREY ELWOOD) writes:
>I'm seriously considering jumping in with Clipper 5.0.  I've used
>it for a mild application and I like it.  I'd appreciate hearing
>from you on the negatives and any undocumented positives.  
>Is there a tradeoff because it is royalty free.  Or is it as good
>as the FOX products, for instance.  I know about the installation
>bugs, personally.  I've heard the SET RELATION has problems, so I've
>avoided it so far.  And most importantly, what about the people behind
>the product - are they sales or R&D dominated?  Do they make their 
>release dates and how is their technical support.  
>
Jeffrey,

Were your previous experiences with Clipper Summer '87 ?  5.0 has a few
bugs (even Nantucket openly admits it) but the fix-disk is in Beta at
the moment and is looking good.  It seems to be a "tradition" with them
in that they release versions too early and fix them up a few months
later.  They are definitely R&D dominated with most of the control
centered around the development staff.  Personally I prefer that over a
sales driven organization.  Ashton-Tate was driven by sales and wouldn't
incorporate the simplest of improvements if they thought it could impact
sales of the product... and the language languished.

Personally I don't think there is a comparison between FoxPro and Clipper
because they are designed for different audiences.  I'm not a dot-prompter
and I'm more interested in having things my way and not the way chosen by
somebody in Ohio.  Some people obviously prefer the Fox approach, in fact
in total number probably more people prefer it.  I would guess that a
significant number of people would not migrate to Fox if Clipper ceased to
be produced... I know that I wouldn't.

As for tech support it's probably as good (or as bad) as anybody, harder
than say tech support for WordPerfect because people not only call for
clarification of suspected bugs but while they them on the phone would
they mind programming their project for them also ???  It can be tricky.

I have a slight bias but I used Clipper for years before I worked at
Nantucket.

tom leylan
ex-Senior Systems Analyst / Nantucket Corporation